What can I do to improve my application

[WhitJord85]

I decided late in my college career, three years in, that I wanted to apply to med school...Needless to say I took a lot of science courses at the same time and consequently didn't end up with the best gpa...3.425 overall...science gpa 3.25 (not so good)...I applied super late in the 2007-08 cycle and pretty much had no idea what I was getting myself into... I had not done my hw on all the things involved here... Anyway... I have a very low MCAT score.. 24O... So with the low gpa and low MCAT I was not suprised I didn't get in... I only applied to 2 schools as well....Also lacking research and much clinical experience...closest thing I have is pharmacy tech. I do have a few extracurriculars... I was on the Women's Varsity Golf Team, and served as Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for two years... as wells as in a sorority and VP of Membership for a year in the sorority, as well as being a team captain for St. Jude's Up Til Dawn at my undergrad institution...

Here I am again... after working for almost year, I know that I really want to go to med school and I am working on improving my application... I am currently taking the Kaplan MCAT class and working my butt off at it... studying 4 hours a day (isn't that much except I'm working full-time and training for a marathon), taking the MCAT May 28... Obviously right now there isn't much I can do about the gpa... But I am trying to get a job doing research but I am having a hard time finding something... does anyone have any suggestions on that? Also, I am going to try to pick up weekend shifts at a local ER as a nurse tech, as well as talk to some MD's that are family friends to do some shadowing, a couple afternoons a week...(I work at the family business, so my hours are flexible).

I am planning on getting my AMCAS done by June 1st, so that I can submit early...

Any advice on finding a research position or anything other advice to strengthen my application would be greatly appreciated.

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[Dr Lyss]

I decided late in my college career, three years in, that I wanted to apply to med school...Needless to say I took a lot of science courses at the same time and consequently didn't end up with the best gpa...3.425 overall...science gpa 3.25 (not so good)...I applied super late in the 2007-08 cycle and pretty much had no idea what I was getting myself into... I had not done my hw on all the things involved here... Anyway... I have a very low MCAT score.. 24O... So with the low gpa and low MCAT I was not suprised I didn't get in... I only applied to 2 schools as well....Also lacking research and much clinical experience...closest thing I have is pharmacy tech. I do have a few extracurriculars... I was on the Women's Varsity Golf Team, and served as Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for two years... as wells as in a sorority and VP of Membership for a year in the sorority, as well as being a team captain for St. Jude's Up Til Dawn at my undergrad institution...

Here I am again... after working for almost year, I know that I really want to go to med school and I am working on improving my application... I am currently taking the Kaplan MCAT class and working my butt off at it... studying 4 hours a day (isn't that much except I'm working full-time and training for a marathon), taking the MCAT May 28... Obviously right now there isn't much I can do about the gpa... But I am trying to get a job doing research but I am having a hard time finding something... does anyone have any suggestions on that? Also, I am going to try to pick up weekend shifts at a local ER as a nurse tech, as well as talk to some MD's that are family friends to do some shadowing, a couple afternoons a week...(I work at the family business, so my hours are flexible).

I am planning on getting my AMCAS done by June 1st, so that I can submit early...

Any advice on finding a research position or anything other advice to strengthen my application would be greatly appreciated.

I admire your determination! So here's my take:

- The gpa is definitely on the low side & might be a hurdle. if you can get an amazing score on your MCAT (34+) it will help schools overlook that low gpa. Do well on your MCAT! You'll need it to get your foot in the door.

- Honestly you have too many holes in your application to apply this cycle. There is not much you can do in the next 6 months that will make a drastic difference. If you really want to put yourself in the best position I would recommend another year to strengthen your app, possible doing some more science electives to increase that science gpa. If you really don't want to take another year you can take your chances this year & you might get lucky, but you would significantly improve your chances with more time.

- So the ECs you mentioned are nice but without any clinical volunteering (hospital, patient contact) little to no schools will touch you. E-mail some doctors and ask if you can shadow them once a week. Volunteer in a hospital or a clinic. Do something you enjoy that is medically related. If you decide to take more time you can volunteer over a period greater than 6 months which looks much better (quality, not quantity. they want to see commitment and involvement) Oh and include your marathon in your ECs -- it's unique

- Not having research won't kill your app necessarily but having it can only help. Go on craigs list or monster.com and look for research assistant jobs. Contact labs in your area and see if they are hiring - send a resume. Eventually you will get lucky. You might not get a job off the bat but you can start with volunteering in a lab & maybe eventually find a lab to hire you. You should know that most labs want a two year commitment. It takes a long time to be trained to use all of the equipment & learn the steps of the research so it's not something yo can do for a month or two. Another option is try to do a one year masters program that is research oriented.

- lastly, get your LORs together NOW if you decide to apply this cycle. i really think you would tremendously benefit from taking some extra time, especially since you decided so late. Many of your competition has been premed for 3 or 4 years and has had that time to do all of these activities & strengthen their app. It will be very difficult to squeeze all of that into a year or two. Strongly consider taking some more time to get more experiences in medicine or doing a masters program, science post bacc

best of luck. I hope this was useful

 

[WhitJord85]

thanks for the advice... i would really like to apply this cycle... but i'll definitely give thought to waiting another year... anyone have more advice on how to better my chances... i am really studying hard for this MCAT... i am shooting for a 36 or better... I definitely did not give enough time to it the last time...Also...I didn't mention before... my gpa fell after my mother was diagnosed with cancer... I don't know if I should really mention that in my app or not... but there is defintiely a noticable difference in my gpa...

 

[scarletgirl777]

thanks for the advice... i would really like to apply this cycle... but i'll definitely give thought to waiting another year... anyone have more advice on how to better my chances... i am really studying hard for this MCAT... i am shooting for a 36 or better... I definitely did not give enough time to it the last time...Also...I didn't mention before... my gpa fell after my mother was diagnosed with cancer... I don't know if I should really mention that in my app or not... but there is defintiely a noticable difference in my gpa...

It's a good idea to mention that there was a family emergency or however you want to phrase it, but I still agree with DrLyss. Your science GPA is fairly low, so acing a couple of science classes would look good. Also, is there any kind of upward trend to your grades or is pretty much the same grades throughout the career? The emergency explanation would help best if the dip started after the emergency situation.

 

[Mobius1985]

If you don't get as high an MCAT score as you need for allopathic schools, you might consider applying to osteopathic med schools. Your current GPA is right at their mean for acceptees. Their mean MCAT score is 25.5.

 

[Catalystik]

Taking 1.5 years of additional coursework and getting straight As would help your application greatly. I agree that there's no point in wasting your money on an application cycle this year. Too much is lacking from your application considering you have no substantive clinical experience and no research. You need more community service. Your leadership experience looks fine, though. And the teamwork implied by your sport is important to list. A high MCAT score will help you, but it won't excuse the need for strong ECs.

 

[WhitJord85]

Thanks again for all the help from everyone. I am thinking I am going to go ahead and volunteer at our hospital, 10+ hrs a week, and set up some shadowing like 8+... good ahead and study and take the MCATs in May as planned, apply this cycle, early...quite broadly...and try to get into a SMP program... at least this way if I get waitlisted I can send updates showing my ongoing interest... also continue volunteering and shadowing during the SMP program.

What does anyone think about this? Good idea, bad idea? Any more suggestions?